Dust-collector.



in. 873,532. PATENTED DEC; 10, 1907.

G. H. FORSYTH. DUST COLLECTOR.

APPLICATION FI'LBD APR.2.190-6.

ran s rarns rrrnn r oFFI GEOIjGE H. FORSY-TH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FORSYTH I3ROTIIERS COMPANY,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DUST-COLLECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 10, 1907.

Application filed April 2, 1906. Serial No. 309,463. 0

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FonsY'rH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Collectors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dust collecting devices, and pertains more particularly to means for collecting and retaining metal dust produced by abrasion and wear between two or more metallic contact surfaces. Well known instances in which dust of this character is produced may be found in'the wear of brake shoes upon the wheels of railway cars, and in thewea'r of the contact shoes with the third rail of electric railway sys tems of the third-rail type. It has been found in practice that the fine metal dust created in these ways is objectionable, especially in'underground or conduit railways, by reason of the danger and injury resultin from inhaling an atmosphere impregnated therewith, as well as fouling the shoes and rails and deteriorating the character of the contact, especially between the contact shoe and the third rail.

represented by the wear of these'parts, which metal, if it could be saved and re-mlted and re-used, would represent a considerable saving in the cost of material. I I

. he object of my invention is to provide a simple means for obyiatin these objections and disadvantages, an accomplished through the provision of means for collecting the; dust thus generated from the vicinity of the shoe and retaining or confining the same until the end of therun, or other point of disposal, is reached; andan especial feature of the invention resides in the provision of means whereby the dust collected is retained until. disposed of, irrespective of whether the dust-collecting agent is with my invention; and Fig. 3 is atop Still another objection resides in the quite considerable loss of metal this object is the magnet is denergized, allowing the dust to fall therefrom. The magnet may be permanent or electric, and may take many forms within the purview of the invention,-

diiferent forms being employed according to the form and relative location of the shoe being served thereby; and the dust-retaining agent may likewise take any suitable form that is consistent with its character as a holding or retaining device for the dust when freed from the magnet. In the accompanying drawings illustrated applications of the princi le of my I have invention to the case of third-rai contact shoes and car wheel brake shoes; but it will be understood that the invention is capable of useful application in many other relations too numerous to be herein specified.

Referring to the drawings,-Figure 1 is a side elevational view, part y in section, of a portion of a railway car truck showing rnyinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a similar view of; a third-rail contact shoe equipped P. and its attachment shown in view of the shoe Fig. 2,

Referring first to Fig. a side bar of a car truck, 11 the car wheels, and 12 the usual brake shoes. 13 desi nates an arc-sha ed magnet core "connecte with the head 0" the brake shoe or the end of the brake beam by a central stem or Around these stems are located coils 15 which may be in series with the wire 16 forming part of an electric circuit. When the electric currentis on through the coils 15, the

ends of the arc-shaped cores 13 represent one polarity and the shoe 12 represents the op 0: site polarity of the magnet; and meta lie dust generated and given ofi between the brake shoe and the wheel will be collected on both the magnet and the shoe. Suitably secured to thebrake beam'or any other sup porting device and surrounding and envelop- 1, 10,may represent post 14.

active or passive. y

The means. which I prefer to employ for, drawing or collecting the dust are of a' magnetic character; this feature of the invention residing substantially inthe .location of 5. magnet in the.vicinityof'the point or place of (generation of the (lust for the attraction an collection of the latter; and the means for retaining ing preferab'i 55 form to hold in each of the magnets 13 as well as under; lying the shoe 12, is a substantially cup sha ed dust-retaining casing or receptacle; designated by 17, which reeeptacleshould be} of non-magnetic material, such as brass. The] feature of importance 'aboutthis receptacle is that it be so formed and placed as to catch and retain iarticles of dust liberated by the magnet and shoe when the'lat-ter are-denergized.

In Fins.

the dust thus collected consisty of a' receptacle of suitable anglcontam the dust whenever z and 2. .11 may represent the 1 10 third rail conductor of an electric railway of the third-rail type, and 19 the contact shoe or trolley suspended by links 20 from a side bar 21 of the truck, and sliding over the rail bolts 26, near the ends of the shoe, are dustret'ainers in the form of casings or housings 27 that envelop the polar projections of the magnet and are so formed and located as to be well adapted to catch and hold the particles of metaldust collected"b'y th e magnet when released therefrom by the deenergizing of thema'gnet.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the wires 16 may form part of a continuous closed local circuit; or they may be so connected with the trolley pole or other main conductor leading to the car motor through the controller that the circuit will be closed therethrough when the circuit through the motor is opened, or they may be so connected that the circuit will be closed therethrough by the. brake-applying mechanism. In the latter cases, the circuit through the wires. 16 will be broken or interrupted when the controller is operated to supply current to the motor or when the brake mechanism is released, and this would deenergize the magnets, which operation would allow the dust collected by the magnets to drop into the retainers where it would be held against loss and dissipation until the end of the run or other point of disposal. Similarly, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the wires 25 may be in acontinuously'closed circuit, or they may be so connected as to open the circuit when the supply of current to the motor is cut oil by the controller; in which .latter case the dust collected on the polepieces would be liberated and dropped into the retaining devices 27 and there held until the end of the run or other point of disposal.

In an application filed by me on the 17th day of March, 1906, Serial No. 306,672, I have disclosed and claimed that the generic part or feature of the present invention consisting in the employment of magnets in association with contact shoes for collecting the metal dust and holding the same so long as the magnet is energized. My present improvement is distinguished therefrom by the addition of means for retaining the dust thus Surrounding the bar or core 23 is acollected, irrespective of whether the collecting means be active or inactive. That is to say, the dust will be retained and held against dissipation even though the magnets be dei'iergized after a quantity of dust has been collected thereon. This latter feature is of importance, both as ameans for saving for re-use the dust collected, and as a means for preventing subsequent dissipation of the dust collected by the magnets.

It will be understood that the forms and relative locations of both the magnets and the retainingdevices may be considerably altered and varied from those shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. It is also noted that, while I have shown and described magnetic means for collecting the dust, yet other means might be substituted therefor within the spirit and purview of the invention.

I claim:

'1. The combination witlrtwo or more abrasive surfaces generating dust, of means for attracting and arresting said dust, and means for receiving and retaining the dust subsequently released by said attracting and arresting means.

2. The combination with two or more abrasive surfaces generating metallic dust, of a magnet serving to attract and arrest said dust, and means for receiving and retaining the dust subsequently released by said magnet.

3. The combination with two or more abrasive surfaces generating metallic dust, of a magnet located-in the vicinity of said surfaces and operating to attract and arresting said. dust, and a receptacle so locatcd rela tively to said magnet as to catch and retain the dust released by the decncrgizing of the latter.

4. The combination w' 'h a contact-shoe, and a metallic surface. frictionally engaged thereby, of means located in the vicinity of said shoe for attracting and arresting the metallic dust generated b said )arts, and means for-retaining the (lhst su sequcntly released by said attracting and arrcsting means.

5. The combination with a contact-shoe and a metallic surface frictionally engaged thereby, of magnetic means located in the vicinity of said shoe serving to attract and arrest the metallic dust generated by said parts, and a receptacle for retaining the dust subsequently released by the deenergizing of said magnetic means.

GEORGE H. FORSYTII.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND,

L. F. McCREA. 

